By the Caribbean Journal staff

Move over, happy hour.

Aruba’s Bucuti & Tara Beach Resort has launched the Caribbean’s first-ever Healthy Hour.

The hour lets guests “toast to their health” each day from 3 to 4 PM with half-priced nutrient-rich smoothies and handcrafted “mocktails.”

Guests also received a “wholesome” snack at the open-air SandBar and a schedule of complimentary healthy activities and classes.

Daily offerings rotate with yoga and meditation, Tai Chi on the beach, sunrise beach walks, nutritional counseling, group personal training sessions and chef-led cooking demonstrations of healthy dishes.

“We want to support and inspire our guests, give them knowledge and practical experience so they can live their lives to the fullest while here and long after returning home,” said Ewald Biemans, owner and CEO of Bucuti & Tara Beach Resort. “We are on a mission of continually expanding our healthy lifestyle offerings to provide our guests with the most fulfilling vacation experience possible.”

The post The Caribbean’s First Healthy Hour appeared first on Caribbean Journal.

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By Dana Niland
CJ Contributor

Four months after Hurricane Irma, St. Maarten is “steadily recovering” and showing visible signs of progress, officials said.

This past month marked the reopening of St. Maarten’s cruise ports, as Viking Cruises’ Viking Sea ship and Marella Cruises’ Marella Discovery sailed into port on December 4 and 5, 2017 respectively.

American Airlines and Delta Air Lines operate daily flights to St. Maarten through Miami and Atlanta, respectively, while JetBlue is operating twice-weekly flights from New York’s John F. Kennedy International Airport.

St. Maarten’s boutique hotels and guest houses are also open for business, officials told Caribbean Journal.

Options currently accepting guests include Baker’s Suites, Horizon Beach Hotel, Carl’s Unique Inn, The Paradise Inn, Travel Inn Hotel, Princess Heights, Holland House Beach Hotel, Sea Palace Resort, Atrium Resort & Spa and several others.

Oyster Bay plans to reopen in April and Sonesta Ocean Point in the fourth quarter.

Many food, beverage and entertainment options are open in Simpson Bay, including Topper’s, Pizza & Co., Little Jerusalem, Bombay Bites, Lee’s Roadside Grill, Avantika, Marty’s, Rhythm & Booze, Pizza del Sol, Jungle Steakhouse, Sale & Pepe.

For fine dining, Rockland Estate is welcoming guests for island-inspired fare by acclaimed St. Maarten Chef, Dino Jagtiani.

Just one month after Irma, 80 percent of land-based activities and 64 percent of sea-based activities were back in action, and that number has steadily increased.

Ninety-percent of the shops on Front Street in Philipsburg are open, as well as Rainforest Adventures and Aqua Mania Adventures.

The post St Maarten Tourism Is “Steadily Recovering” appeared first on Caribbean Journal.

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By the Caribbean Journal staff

There’s a new destination for yoga in Grenada, thanks to a series of enhancement projects at the island’s Spice Island Beach Resort.

The all-inclusive Grand Anse-area property has debuted a major new open-air yoga pavilion overlooking Grenada’s most famous beach.

Spice Island has three certified yoga instructors on property, each trained in a different discipline.

The property also offers private yoga sessions in addition to scheduled classes from 6:00 AM to 5:00 PM focusing on Yin Yoga, Vinyasa Flow, Gentle Flow, Restorative Styles, Therapeutic (neck and shoulders) and Hatha Yoga.

“A vacation for the mind and body is at the core of our mission at Spice Island Beach Resort and we are delighted to offer these transformative classes as well as private instruction tailored to the specific needs of our guests,” said Sir Royston Hopkin KCMG, chairman and managing director of Spice Island Beach Resort.

The post Grenada’s New Yoga Destination appeared first on Caribbean Journal.

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Luxury is cool. Art is cool. Great service is cool. Sometimes cool defies definition.

But when it comes to a cool hotel, you just know it when you see it.

The sixth annual CJ Cool List takes you across the ever-changing world of Caribbean hotels, throwing the spotlight on some established properties and some newer faces, from larger resorts to ultra-chic boutiques, from the Bahamas to the southern Caribbean. What do they all have in common? They’re just cool.

Here are the coolest hotels in the Caribbean for 2018.

Park Hyatt St Kitts It was the most anticipated opening in the Caribbean when it debuted last month in St. Kitts, thanks to the hard-to-match Park Hyatt brand and a remarkable design that’s married authentic, historic hues with cutting-edge accents. A new standard for Caribbean hotels.

The post The Cool List: The Coolest Hotels in the Caribbean – 2018 appeared first on Caribbean Journal.

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By the Caribbean Journal staff

It’s the late afternoon on Cane Bay.

There’s a hint of shade as the sun hides behind some clouds and the waves lap back and forth.

St Croix is as strong as ever, as travelers and locals dot the beach, lulled into tranquility by the sound of the sea, showing the world that this island is resilient.

This is Cane Bay, long one of the greatest stretches of sand in St Croix (and the US Virgin Islands), a haven for beach lovers everywhere.

And this is what it’s like to be here.

See more in the video at the top of the page.

The post VIDEO: A Moment on Cane Bay, St Croix appeared first on Caribbean Journal.

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